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Pilates Barre Fusion, the Perfect Pairing

Clients often question the rationale behind fusing Barre and Pilates workouts. Often clients will say they want to “just do Pilates” as they are not sure they see the benefit of doing both. Many people feel that barre is strictly for ballet-trained dancers. We have attempted to answer the question about why Pilates Barre Fusion makes the perfect pairing.

Both Pilates and Barre workouts keep to the same basic structure of form, breathe and healthy alignment. Like Pilates, barre work emphasizes micro-movements that train slow-twitch muscle fiber. Training slow-twitch muscle fiber through exercises that feature sustained isometric contractions with little-to-no joint movement, keep the slow-twitch muscle fibers under contraction for an extended period of time. This can help improve their ability to utilize oxygen to produce energy. Examples include the front plank, the side plank and the single-leg balance. Slow twitch muscle fibers are smaller, generate less force and have a smaller growth potential than the fast twitch muscle fibers. However, these fibers are extremely resistant to fatigue. Slow-twitch muscle fibers use oxygen to

help create adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the chemical that actually fuels muscle contractions. The more slow twitch muscle fibers you build, the more fat you burn and the more long, lean muscle tone you see. Movements or exercises that require muscular endurance use more slow twitch fibers than fast.

Workouts at the barre focus on pelvic positioning, core strength, stability, balance and flexibility. Movements performed are often shifted from one side of the body to the other. Isometric movement to stabilize the body while performing a barre exercise help strengthen the body. For example, often the “standing leg” at the barre works twice as hard as the leg in the air. Arabesque and leg lifts are a perfect example of the standing leg emphasis while performing the movement. Balance is achieved by lifting away from the floor and pulling up in the standing leg, while the core muscles help stabilize the pelvis.

Barre is terrific cross-training for Pilates Reformer as it translates many of the exercises and shifts them to a standing position…and can be likened to a standing Pilates-type workout, although not entirely. Combination workouts are a great way to continually challenge the body for maximum results. Want to try a Reformer Barre Fusion class, or Jumpboard with Mixed Pilates Mat? Sign up available online.

YOGALATES Community Class Supports Girl Up

Girl Up, the United Nations Foundation’s adolescent girl campaign, supports the empowerment of girls everywhere. Since its launch in 2010, the campaign has funded UN programs that promote the health, safety, education, and leadership of girls in developing countries and built a community of nearly half a million passionate advocates .Youth leaders, representing more than 850 Girl Up Clubs in 66 countries, stand up, speak up, and rise up to support the hardest to reach girls living in places where it is hardest to be a girl. Learn more at GirlUp.org.

Let’s support girls everywhere, to help their voices be heard! Help us reach our fundraising goal!

Gluten-Free Zone

4 Reasons to go Gluten Free

Gluten-free products are more available than ever. But if you don’t have celiac disease why go gluten-free? The answer is chronic inflammation linked to autoimmune diseases. More recently, medical experts have begun to acknowledge the possible connection between gluten and non-pathologic joint pain—joint pain that is not explained by disease. A growing body of research supports this idea. Many consider gluten toxic to the body. When you cut out gluten, you are cutting out gluten-containing products such as bread, bread products, baked goods, pasta, breakfast cereal, crackers, pretzels and grain products.

Here are 4 reasons to go Gluten-Free

Gluten can trigger chronic inflammation throughout the body if you’re sensitive or allergic to it.

Weight loss – most high gluten containing foods are highly processed, have high-sugar content, and are often found in packaged food. These foods are unhealthy providing an abundance of empty calories. Giving these up are a sure-fire way to lose weight.

Brain fog, headaches, fatigue, joint and muscle aches. Recent studies have shown that gluten-sensitivity can cause a host of symptoms that are easily mistaken for hormone imbalances or chronic illness.

Gluten containing foods are highly-addictive. Gluten instigates the production of a substance called exorphins that can have an addictive effect. Gluten triggers leptin resistance, which causes overeating. Leptin is a hormone that sends signals to the brain that you’re full, preventing you from overeating. When leptin-resistance happens in the body, our signal to stop eating becomes faulty.

Interested in the Slimming Effects of Reducing Sugar and Eliminating Processed Foods?

Part of the problem is that sugar is hidden in virtually all packaged and processed foods, including so-called healthy snacks and low-fat options. Many energy bars are loaded with sugar, actually making them closer to candy bars. The same holds true for many cereals, yogurts and breads. A single cup of plain yogurt typically has about seven grams of sugar in the form of lactose, a naturally occurring sugar found in dairy. A fruit flavored variety of the same yogurt, on the other hand, may contain as many as 19 grams of sugar. That means 12 of those 19 grams is added sugar and lacking any nutritional benefit. This equates to eating a small cup of plain yogurt with a bowl of Frosted Corn Flakes or 3 added teaspoons of sugar dumped on top.

In fact, 74% of all packaged food products available in the supermarket have added sugar. Sugar is finding its way onto our plates and into our bodies in volumes that humans have never experienced before and the amount with which we consume sugar has reached toxic levels.

Sugar and processed fructose varieties wreak havoc on the liver which has a very limited capacity to metabolize these ingredients. The average adult can safely metabolize up to six teaspoons of added sugar per day. Frighteningly, the average American consumes 22 teaspoons of added sugar a day. That’s almost four times the recommended limit.

Sugar in the end is stored as extra fat in the body. Not to mention that a diet abundant in sugar may create insulin-resistance particularly in women over forty, making weight loss extremely difficult.

Research coming out of some of America’s most respected institutions confirms that sugar is a primary dietary factor driving chronic disease development.

Scientific studies have linked excessive fructose consumption to about 78 different diseases and chronic health problems, including but not limited to:

Type 2 Diabetes

Cardiovascular Disease

Hypertension (high blood pressure)

Dementia

Cancer

The choices we make from day to day can have a big impact on our overall health.

READY TO JUMP START INTO A HEALTHY YOU? LET’S START BY CLEANING OUT THE KITCHEN AND RIDDING THE PANTRY OF PROCESSED FOODS.

First, trash anything that is not real food. Put aside pre-packaged processed goods, unless it’s whole food, with only a few real ingredients. “Food items should have less than five ingredients, and only things you recognize,” says Dr. Mark Hyman. If you see ingredients that compromise health or that you can’t pronounce or understand – THROW IN THE TRASH

Second, dump sweetened drinks like fruit juices, diet sodas, and sports drinks. Cutting out these beverages will save yourself another 15-20 teaspoons of added sugars per serving. DRINK PLENTY OF WATER TO HYDRATE

HERE ARE SOME TIPS TO REDUCE OR ELIMINATE ADDED SUGAR

Raise the level of serotonin, a.k.a. the “happiness hormone,” in your body through REGULAR EXERCISE LIKE PILATES OR YOGA

Prepare a shopping list ahead of time and menu-planning is key. When your hungry and you haven’t planned ahead you will likely reach for unhealthy snacks because they are plentiful and available.

REDUCE stress through Meditation, walking or practicing mindfulness. Learning to implement mindfulness, unplugging from electronics and being present in the moment can help reduce the effects

Ready to get healthy together?

Start the 14- DAY CLEANSE AND RESET starting Sunday, Jan 28th. Follow on Facebook Group for menu planning, prep and shopping lists.

Are you looking to slim your waist, increase energy levels and improve health? Combine the 14-Day Cleanse Reset with 3 cardio workouts per week such as Pilates Cardio Jumpboard. Sign up for class and the challenge…share your results on private forum FB page.

Pilates can be used to rehabilitate knee injuries.

Pilates is an excellent choice to improve knee misalignment, injury and dysfunction associated with overuse. Knee injuries are among the most common orthopedic injuries. Causes associated with injuries of the knee can range from direct trauma to overuse that eventually deteriorates the joint. Repetitive movements through daily movement, or sports can cause misalignment that can lead to accelerated wearing of the joint. Knee structures most prone to wear are the articular cartilages of the femur and patella and the shock absorbing medial and lateral menisci. The degradation of joint tissues leads to intra-articular deformities that cause clicking, grinding, and joint locking. Gone unchecked, these changes in the joint will eventually lead to pain and dysfunction.

Examples of Pilates Reformer Exercises Used for Knee Rehabilitation:

“The Footwork” is the perfect series of exercises for improving strength and alignment for the whole of the lower body; from the feet to the hips.

Side lying movements target the abductors and lateral hip whilst performing knee flexion and extension. Tower and Mat work are perfect for working on targeting abductors and lateral hip movements.

“Feet in Straps” – These exercises are excellent for strengthening and stretching adductors (inner thighs) and hamstrings as well as hip flexors.

Bridging on the Reformer is extremely effective in strengthening the gluteal muscles and the hamstrings as well as stabilizing the back of the knee.

Want to get healthy in 2018? The key is preparation and planning ahead. One great way to do this is by using a slow cooker. Many meals can be prepared hours before or the evening before. Just leave your crock pot on and go…you will come home to a nutritious hot-meal that doesn’t blow your caloric intake and meets your nutritional needs to keep your immune system healthy all winter long.Looking for healthy slow cooker meals? Try this super fast, easy and delicious black bean slow cooker meal.

Step 3. Comment below using your Facebook account by answering the question: What makes you feel grateful this holiday season? Check “Also post on Facebook” to share your comment and the giveaway. The more you comment, the higher your chances to win!

It’s now widely known that cross-training with Pilates is an essential ingredient to a dancer’s success and longevity. Dance class alone cannot provide the physical adaptations to ensure optimal performance and reduced risk of injury.

For most dancers, Pilates is a perfect choice when it comes to supplementary training. Founder Joseph Pilates, began developing his movement program during World War 1. He immigrated to New York City in the 1920s, where he gained notoriety with the New York City Ballet. Dancers flocked to Joe’s studio because his method vastly improved their performance. Ever since, Pilates and dance training have been deeply interconnected. Pilates focuses on deep core support, pelvic alignment and full ROM allowing for fluid and controlled movement throughout the body. Pilates teaches us to how to integrate our spine with our limbs so overall movement is more fluid. This leads to efficient, fluid, whole body movements that are essential principles of dance.

By building awareness about how movement works, where it comes from and how to connect to it kinaesthetically, dancers can bring a new level to their dance practice. Supplemental Pilates practice creates stronger and more flexible and mindful movement to the dancer’s conditioning.

An experimental study by McMillan and associates found that a 14-week Pilates intervention improved dynamic alignment in ballet students. As well, a study by Amorim and Wyon found that dancers who participated in a 12-week Pilates Mat intervention increased their levels of muscular strength and flexibility compared to a control group who showed no changes participating in normal dance class. Due to these muscular adaptations, dancers were able to hold a developpé position for an average of 9 seconds longer, and increased their height 4-10°.

It’s important to note the importance of conditioning outside of dance class for both improved performance and protection from injuries. Dance movement stresses similar muscle groups because of repetitive movements. Pilates can encourage muscle balance by working joints through full ROM and building support in all layers of soft tissue.

Lastly, Pilates as a supplementary training feels familiar to dancers because it embodies artistry quality of movement and an emphasis on breathing, alignment and adaptation, deep core support and mobility. Because of this, dancers may enjoy and commit to Pilates with ease. This can mean a higher rate of adherence to supplementary training.